Restrictions remain in place in several countries such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland until 18 or 25 April. Schools reopen on 12 April in several countries, including the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Latvia, and Luxembourg has reopened the terraces of bars and restaurants. To follow the development of the situation, the Foundation offers you a summary of the sanitary measures in place and the travel conditions across Europe. An essential, regularly updated resource for you to better understand the situation.

On 6 April, the Commission approved the use by the Netherlands and Austria of REACT-EU, Europe's recovery support instrument for cohesion and territories. The two Member States will have access to almost €262 million. This is the first use of this fund established under the NextGenerationEU recovery plan.

The executive committee of the Conference on the Future of Europe announced on 7 April that the multilingual digital platform for citizens to contribute to the debate on the future of the Union will be launched on 19 April. The platform will provide information on the structure and work of the conference, as well as a map of events where citizens can participate. The Committee of the Regions also discussed its own working methods and held a first debate on the draft rules on the composition and work of the plenary sessions of the conference.

Health ministers met on 7 April following the European Medicines Agency's announcements on the side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine. They discussed the need for more pharmacovigilance studies on certain population groups. The Commission and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council called on Member States to work towards a coordinated position on vaccines, and condemned unilateral decisions that affect "everyone".

European Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on 6 April. They discussed a possible strengthening of economic ties between the two sides, as well as cooperation on refugees and migration. The Commission will soon present a new aid plan for Syrian refugees in Turkey and other countries. EU leaders stressed the need for Turkey to respect the principles of the rule of law and condemned Turkey's unilateral actions against Greece and Cyprus.

On 7 April, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, presented Agenda 2025, which sets out the Agency's priorities and new objectives for increasing Europe's role in the space economy and trying to catch up with the United States and China. The Agency wants to set up missions in cooperation with the Member States, with companies of all sizes that would increase knowledge and protect the Earth and its orbit.

On 6 April, the left-wing environmentalist party, Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), won the parliamentary elections in Greenland with 36.6% of the vote. The party overtook the social-democratic Siumut party (29.4%), which had been in power since 1979. It is expected to win 12 of the 31 seats in Inatsisartut, the unicameral parliament of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory that is not part of the EU.

An investigative journalist, Giorgos Karaivaz, was murdered outside his home in Athens on 9 April. The murder, for which no one has claimed responsibility, has been condemned by many European leaders and journalists' and human rights groups. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for a "rapid resolution" of the investigation.

On 8 April, the authorities and political parties in Northern Ireland condemned the violence and clashes that have been taking place in the province for several days. Political tensions have increased among both unionists and republicans due to the implementation of customs controls between Northern Ireland and Great Britain under the UK's withdrawal agreement from the European Union.

On 8 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Luhansk region on the frontline of the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. His visit is linked to an increase in the Russian military presence in Crimea and the regions bordering Ukraine since the end of March, as well as systematic ceasefire violations. On 12 April, the G7 foreign ministers and the EU High Representative issued a joint statement calling Russian troop movements "a threat and a destabilising factor" and calling on Russia to "stop its actions in the region". Russia to "put an end to its provocations and immediately de-escalate tensions".

The Council of Europe published its annual report on crime statistics on 8 April. The incarceration rate per 100,000 inhabitants in the 47 states has continued to fall, from 135 incarcerated per 100,000 inhabitants in 2013 to 105 in 2020. The countries with the highest incarceration rates remain Turkey, Russia and Georgia. Men account for 95% of prisoners in Europe. The report raises the cost of incarceration: each person incarcerated costs €63 per day for a total expenditure by prison administrations of €27 billion.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 8 April that compulsory vaccination of children against nine childhood diseases in the Czech Republic is "necessary in a democratic society". The applicants considered that the obligation to vaccinate children in order to enrol them in kindergarten was in contradiction with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the protection of private life. The Court concluded that the measures were proportionate and legitimate.

On 6 April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its world growth outlook to 6% in 2021, compared to 5.2% forecast last October. For the euro area, the IMF lowered its GDP growth forecast to 4.4% in 2021 from 5.2% forecast in October 2020. The gap is widening between the euro area and the US, where the faster vaccination and the $1.9 trillion stimulus package will have a faster impact on economic recovery than in Europe. The IMF notes that there will be divergences in the recovery between countries depending on the extent of support given to the economies, as well as uncertainties about the evolution of the health crisis that could undermine the economic recovery.

On 9 April, the Commission published its evaluation report on the third macro-financial assistance operation (MFA-III) in favour of Ukraine. It examines the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, coherence and European added value of the operation voted in 2015 for an amount of €1.8 billion. The Commission acknowledges that the conditions of the assistance attached to the reforms should have been fewer, but stresses that the operation has been instrumental in helping Ukraine to address its balance of payments problems and to carry out structural reforms in order to stabilise the economy and strengthen the sustainability of its external position.

The February unemployment rate was 7.5% in the EU and 8.3% in the euro area, unchanged compared to January, according to figures released by Eurostat on 6 April. The youth unemployment rate was 17.2% in the EU and 17.3% in the euro area.

Classical mythology has always been a source of inspiration for artists. Gods, heroes, nymphs, satires and maenads are intertwined in stories full of human vices and virtues. The Caixa Forum in Tarragona is showing the exhibition "Art and Myth. The Gods of the Prado", which offers a broad look at these mythological characters and their representation throughout the history of art.

Until 9 January 2022, the museum space at Liège-Guillemins station is exhibiting "Napoleon - beyond the myth", a collection of 350 original items, such as the emperor's clothes and bathtub or a dress worn by Josephine, from private collections and Belgian and foreign institutions.